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A Home y (No Model) W H DARLING & J S BUNDIOK SPEAKING TUBE FOR DIVINGARMORS Patented De0.19,188-2.

0 a /2: I Eu I W/IVESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. DARLING AND JOHN S. BUNDIOK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SPEAKING-TUBE FOR DlVING-ARMORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,187, dated December19, 1882.

Application filed June 15, 1882;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we,WILL1AM H. DARLING and JoHN S. BUNDIcK, of New York,in the county of New York and State of New York, haveinvented a certainnew and useful Improvement in Speaking-Tubes for Diving-Armors; and wedo hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it pertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to an improvement in attachments fordiving-armors, the object of the same being to provide means ofcommunication between the diver and the attendants in the boat or onshore.

A further object of our invention is to provide means for preventing theingress of water into the armor in case the pipe should break or springa leak.

A further objectof our invention is to provide means for preventing thecompressed air forced into the armor from above from passing out throughthe speaking-tube, which would prevent sounds made by the attendants inthe boat or on shore from reaching the diver; and with these ends inview our invention consists in certain details of construction andcombinations of parts, as will be more fully described, and pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view showing our improvementconnected to a divers helmet. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of thevalves. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the mouth-piece.

A represents the helmet or head-piece ot' the armor, having the usualventilating-pipes connected thereto, and provided in front with themouth-piece B, which latter is situated inside of the helmet, while theshank thereof passes through the same, and is connected to thehorizontal arm a ot'v the valve-box 0. This mouth-piece B is secured tothe helmet A in any suitable manner so as to prevent the ingress of anywater at the connection, and is provided with the flexible diaphragm D,which latter is secured in the shank thereof in any suitable manner, andadapted to cover .the opening between the mouthpiece and valvebox. Thisdiaphragm can be made of sheepskin, tin, or any suitable flexiblematerial, and is strengthened at its rim or periphery, so as (No model.)

to withstand or check the flow of any water that might accidentally getinto the tubing before it reaches the diver. This diaphragm alsoprevents the compressed air forced into the helmet from above frompassing upward through the tube, which would prevent the sounds utteredby the attendants in the boat from reaching the diver.

The arm a. of the valve-box U is hermetically connected to the shank ofthe mouth-piece B, and bears up against the diaphragm D, and holds it inposition. This arm a is provided with acentral opening, whichcommunicates with the interior of the valve-box, which latter iscomposed of thearms a a and the arms I) b, the said latter crossing thesaid arms a a at right angles thereto. The arms a a are merely acontinuation of the tubing E, while the hollow arms I) b serve as guidesand seats for the valves F F. These valves F F are rigidly secured tothe valve-stem G, which latter passes up through suitable water-proofpacking in the end of the arm I), and is provided with a button againstwhich the diver presses when he desires to communicate with theattendants. The valve and stem are constantly pressed upward toward thearm I) by the spring H, and the position of the valve F on the stem G issuch that when the pressure is relieved on the button on the end thereofthe spring H forces the valves and stem upward until the valve F cutsoff the communication between the arms a and a, and consequently looksor closes the valves. These valves accurately tit in the bore of thevalve-box, and if by any accident whatever the speaking-tube shouldbecome disconnected or the upper end thereof fall over into the waterthe valve F would completely check the downward flow of water before itreached the diaphragm D. When the valve-stem G is pressed downward bythe diver the valves F and F are forced downward until'the space betweenthem comes opposite the openings in the arms a a, which opens thepassage for communication between the diver and attendants. As soon asthe pressure on the stem is relieved the valves resume their normalposition, and communication is again out oit'.

E is the connecting-tube pipe, which we prefer to make of rubber; but itcan be made of metal and answer all necessary purposes.

; csmsv This tube is made up ofsections of any suitable I length, and ishermetically connected at one end to the arm a and is provided at itsother end with any suitable mouth-piece or trumpet.

'When it is desired to communicate with the diver, or vice versa, asignal is given in the usual manner, and the diver depresses the valve,when he is enabled by our improvement to converse freely with thoseabove water.

Ear-trumpets can also be used by the diver in connectionwiththemouth-piece in thehelmet; but itisnot absolutely necessary, as thediver can turn his head sufficiently to enable him to hear directly fromthe mouth-piece.

Our improvement is simple in construction, of few parts, can be securedto any divingarmor, is efficient in use, and can be manufactured at acomparatively small cost.

Our improvement can be disconnected from the armor when not desired foruse by simply disconnecting the arm a from the mouth-piece B andstopping up the latter with any suitablepl ng.

It is evident that slight changes in the construction and arrangement ofthe different parts might be resorted to without departing from thespirit of our invention, andhencewe would have it understood that we donot limit ourselves to the exact construction shown and described, butconsider ourselves at liberty to make such changes as come within thespirit and scope of our invention;

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with the helmetof a diving-armor, ofa mouth-piecewithin the helmet, a

speaking-tube connected with the mouth-piece and extending above thesurface of the water, and a flexible diaphragm placed within themouth-piece, and a self-closing valve for opening and closing thepassage between the diaphragm and the speaking-tube, substantially asset forth.

2. The combination, with the helmet of a diving-armor, a mouth-piecelocated within the helmet, and a speaking-tube, of a valvebox providedwith the hollow arms a a b b, valves F F,valve-ste1n Gr, and spring H,sub stantially as set forth. Y

In testimony whereof we have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM HENRY DARLING. JOHN SAVAGE BUNDIOK. Witnesses:

lsAAo HAMMOND, SAMUEL HAMMOND.

